When will the official COLA payment increase be announced for 2026? Date and estimated amount
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming COLA payment increase.
More than 70 million Americans depend on Social Security as a key source of income, and the yearly cost-of-living-announcement (COLA) determines how much more they’ll receive to keep up with the rapidly rising cost of living propelled by Trump’s economics.
The 2026 Social Security COLA announcement was originally scheduled for October 15, but due to the federal government shutdown the date was pushed back, putting many Americans on edge.
Speaking to NewsWeek, a spokesperson for the SSA said: “The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has announced they will issue the September 2025 Consumer Price Index (CPI) on October 24. The Social Security Administration will use this release to generate and announce the 2026 cost-of-living adjustment on October 24 as well. Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for 75 million Americans will be adjusted per the 2026 COLA, beginning January 1, 2026, without any delay due to the current government lapse in appropriation.”
As such, the official announcement date for the 2026 COLA benefits is October 24, 2025, according to the SSA and BLS schedule. Benefits reflecting this adjustment will take effect with the January 2026 payment.
As for the estimated size of the increase: many analysts now forecast a COLA of roughly 2.7% – 2.8% for 2026, up slightly from the 2.5% increase awarded for 2025. For example, the Senior Citizens League (TSCL) projects 2.7%, while some independent analysts put the number at 2.8% based on current inflation trends.
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To put that in practical terms: if the average retired-worker benefit is about $2,008 per month, a 2.7% bump would increase that by approximately $54/month, raising the payment to around $2,062/month.
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